The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-12-19

h0CrSdJlOn.
BROOKLYN, Dec. 1S.--At the Tabernacle
this morning the whole congregation sang
the hymn beginning:
''The hill of Zion yields
Thousand sacred sweets
Before we reach the heavenly fields
Or walk the golden streets"
The Rev. I. Dewitt Talmage, D. D.,
preached on Recreations Good and Bad" :"
taking two texts: /. Corinthians, vii, 81 ::
"They that use this world, as not abusing
it," and Judges, xvi, %: "And it came to
pass. when their hearts were merry, that
they said, Call for Samson, that he may
make us sport And they ealled for Sam
son out of the prison house; and he made
them sport" DR.. Talmage said:
We are entering the gayest season of the year
The winter opens before us the gates of thou
sand amuSementS, some of them good and some
bad. One Of my texts will show you that
amuSements may be destructive, my other text
will show you that amusements may be under
the Divine blessing and direction.
There were 1900 people assembled in the tenn
pie of Dagon. They had come to make sport of
eyeless Sampson They were all ready for the
entertainment. They began to clap and pound,
impatient for the amusement to begin, and they
cried, Fetch him out ! Fetch him out" Yonder
see the blind old giant coming, led by the
pie. At his first appearance there goes up a
shout of laughter and derision. The blind old
giant pretends he is tired, and wants to
rest himself against the pillars of the
house; so he says to the lad who leads him.
"Show me where the main pillars are" The
lad does so. Then the strong man puts his right
hand on one pillar and his left hand on another
pillar, and, with the mightiest push that mortal
ever made, throws himself forward until the
whole house comes down in thunderous crash
grinding the audience like grapes in q wine
press. And so it came to pass, when their
hearts were merry that they said, Call for Sam
son, that he may make us sport. And they
called for Samson out of the prisonhouse; and
he made them sport"
In other words: There are anusements that
are destructive, and bring down disaster and
death upon the heads of those who practice
them. While they laugh and cheer they die
The three thousandwho perished that day in
GAIA are as nothing compared with the tens of
thousands who have been destroyed by sinful
amuSements.
But the other text have read implies that
there is a lawful use of the world as well as an
unlawful abuse of it, and the difference between
the man Christian and the man un-Christian is,
that in the former case the man masters the
world, while In the latter case the world masters
him. For whom did God make this grand aud
beautiful world For whom this wonderful ex-
penditure of color this gTacefulnesS of line, this
mosaic of the ground, this fresco of the sky,
this glowing fruitage of orchard and vineyard,
this full orchestra of the tempest, in which the
tree branches flute, and the winds trumpet, and
the thunders drum, and all the splendors of
earth and sky come clashing their cymbals 2
For whom did God spring the arched bridge of
colors resting upon buttreSses of broken storm
cloud ? For whom did he gather the upholstery
of fire around the window of the setting sun I?
For all men; but more especially for His own
dear children
If you build large mansion, and spread great
feast after it to celebrate the completion of the
structure, do you allow strangers to come in and
occupy the place while you thrust your own
4 l.
Oh, no. You say, II am very glad to see
strangers in my mansion, but my own sons and
daughters shall have the first right there. ="
Now God has built this grand mansion of a
world and he has spread a glorious feast in it (;
and while those wto are strangers to his grace
may come in, ] think that God especially in
tends to give the advantage to his own chill
dren. those who are the SONS and daughters of
the Lord Almighty. those who through grace
can look up and say, abba, Father" You
cannot make me believe that God gives more
advantages to the world than he gives to the
church bought by his own blood. IT, therefore
people of the world have looked with dolorous
sympathy upon those who make profession of
religion, and nave said, Those new converts
are going down into privation and into
hardship Why did not they tarry little
longer in the world and have some Of its enjoy
ments and amusements and recreatonsf' ] say
to such men of the world: You are greatly
mistaken" and before get through viii show
that those people who stay out of the kingdom
of God have the hardships and self-denials,
while those who cone in have the joys and the
satisfactions.
This morning, in the name of the King OF
heaven and earth, serve writ of ejectment
upon all the sinful and polluted who have
squatted on the domain of earthly pleasure as
though it belonged to them, while / claim, in
behalf of the good and the pure and the true,
the eternal inheritance which God has given
them.
Hitherto, Christian philanthropists, clerical
and lay, have busted themselves chiefly in de-
inpc httf haxya
no right to stand before men and women in
whose hearts there is desire for recreation
amounting to positive necessity, denouncing
this and that and the other thing, when We do
not propose 10 give them something better.
God helping me this morning. and with refer.
ence to my last account, shall enter upon a
sphere not usual in sernonzing, but subject
which think ought to he presented at this
time. propose now to lay before you some of
the recreations which are not only innocent, but
positively helpful and advantageous.
In the first place, commend, among indoor
recreations, music vocal and instrumental.
Among the first things created was the brI, SO
that the earth might have music at the start.
This world, which began with so sweet sere.
made, is finally TO be demolished amidst the
ringing blast of the archangel's trumpet, 80
that as there music at the start, there shall
be music at the close. While this heavenly art
has often been dragged into the uses of super
stitiOn and dissipation. we all know IL may be
the means Of high moral culture Oh. it is a
grand thing to have our children brought mp
amidst tie sound of cultured voices aud amidst
the melody Of musical instruments. There is
in tbs art an indescribable fascination for the
| household Let all those families who have the
means to afford it, have flute or harp, or piano
or organ. A. soon as the hand is large enough
to compass the keys, teach it how to pick out
the melody. Let all our young men try
this heavenly art upon their nature Those
who have gone int0 II fully, have found IN IL
illimitable recreation and amusement Dark
days, stormy nights, seasons of sickness, busi-
ness disasters, win do little toward depressing
the soul which can galop off over musical
keys or soar in jubilant lay. lt will cure pain.
It viii rest fatigue. II viii queli passion.
dissipation. II will strengthen the inn
mortal soul. In the battle Of Waterloo yelling
ton saw that the Hghlanders we're falling back.
He said, what is the matter there?" He was
told that the band Of music had ceased playing,
and he called mp the pipers and ordered them TO
they strike the air than the Hi2hlauders were
rallied. and helped ~ vim the day. Oh, ye who
have been routed in the conflicts of life, try by
the force of music 20 rallyyour scattered battal-
ions.
/ am glad 10 know that ia our great cities
there is hardly night In which there are not
concerts. where with the best musical insiril-
mens and the sweetest voices, people may find
entertainment. Patronize such entertainments
when they are afforded YOU Buy season tickets,
II YOU can, for the Philharmonic and the
''Hande and Haydn" societies. Feel that the
dollar and half or two dollars that you spend
for the purpose of hearing an artist play or
sing Is profitable Investment. Let your
Steinway halls and your academies Of music
roar with the acclanlation of appreciative
audiences assembled at the concert Or the
oratorio.
still further: / oommend, as worthy Of their
support. the gymnasium. This institution Is
gaining in favcr every year, and ! know OF